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(No ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. 'S'. SEABURY. BREEGH LOADING CANNON.

No. 479,957. Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

Wafizesses: @l/

(No-Model.) 2 Sheets- -Sheet 2f S. SEABURY.

BREEGH LOADING CANNON.

M I m f m.

NITED STATES SAMUEL SEABURY, OF THE UNITED STATES NztVY.

PATENT OFFICE.

BREEbH-LOADING CANNON.

SPECIFICATION forming part clf Letters IPatent 1107479957, dated August2, 1892.

Application filed February l2 1892. Serial No. 421,337. (No niodel.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SAMUEL SEABURY, lieutenant in the United StatesNavy, residing at Bergen Point, in the county of Hudson and State of NewJersey, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Breech-LoadingCannon, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates particularly to breech-loading cannon in which,according to my United States Patent No. 425,584, dated April 15, 1890,a screw breech-block movable directly back and forth into the breech ofthe gun is employed, in combination with a swinging carrier, which ishinged to the breech of the gun and into which the said block isreceived when withdrawn from the breech, and with a swinging retractor,which is hinged to the breech to move independently of the said carrierfor the purpose of withdrawing the said block from the breech into thesaid carrier and pushing it therefrom into the breech.

I will first describe my invention with reference to the accompanyingdrawings of the breech portion of the gun to which it is applied, andwill afterward specifically point out its novelty in claims.

Figure 1 represents a central vertical section of the breech and carrierand shows the breech-block partly in section and partly in side view andscrewed up. Fig. 2 is a rear view corresponding with Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is arear view of a portion ofthe breech and of the breech-block and itsoperating mechanism, showing the breech-block unscrewed and ready to bewithdrawn. Fig. 4 is a side view of the pin which constitutes the pivotof the hinge of the carrier and retractor, the said pin having afiixedto its upper end a crank for operating the retractor. Fig. 5 is aninverted plan of the pin and crank. Fig. 6 represents a horizontalsection of the breech of the gun and a plan of the breech-block and itsoperating mechanism. Fig. 7 is a plan view, partly in section, of therotator by which the turning of the breech-block is effected. Fig. 8 isa plan of the breech-block retractor.

Similar letters of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

A is the breech, bored, screw-threaded, and grooved to receive amutilated screw-threaded breech-block B, which is represented as ofordinary pattern externally, the said breech and 1 block having,prefierably, four longitudinal grooves that the block may be unscrewedand screwed up by one-eighth of a turn.

0 O C O designatea hinge-bracket aflixed to the breech for the purposeof attaching the breech-block carrier D D D and the breechblockretractor E, the said bracket consisting of a plate 0, which isdovetailed into the breech, two arms 0' C projecting rearwardly fromsaid plate, and a strengthening-web C between said plate and arms. Thedovetailed plate 0 of the said bracket is secured to the breech byscrews a a.

F is the hinge-pin, upon which the breechblock carrier D D D andbreech-block retractor E are fitted to swing freely, the said pin havingforged in the same piece with it or otherwise afiixed to its upper endacrankarm G, which carries two wrist-pins b b, one above and the otherbelow, the upper one b being for the purpose of unscrewing and screwingthe breech-block, and the lower one Z) being for the purpose ofoperating the breech-block retractor E. The said pin F is fitted to turnfreely in the fixed arms 0' C of the hinge-plate. The lower end of thesaid pin is represented as having securely afiixed to it a worm-gear 11,which engages for the purpose of turning it with an endless screw I onthe horizontal shaft 1, which is fitted to bearings c c c on the breech,the said bearings c 0' consisting of lugs projecting from lower arm C ofthe hinge-bracket. This shaft 1' is represented furnished with ahandcrank 1 by which it is turned for the purpose ations of the breechmechanism.

J is what I term the breech-block rotator for screwing up and unscrewingthe breechblock. This rotator consists of a rod or bar for connectingthe breech-block with the upper wrist-pin b of the crank G, the said rodor bar having at one end a curved hook or slotted yoke with an openmouth and being permanently attached to the upper part of the rear ofthe breech-block by a pivot is, which is screwed into the block. Thehook or yoke j receives within it and engages with the crank wrist-pinb. The sides of this pin have a rounded profile, and the transversesection of the sides of the hook or yoke are made of corresponding formto accommodate the slight of turning'the hinge-pin to produce theopervertical oscillation which the rotator .I has upon the pivot 7: inthe turning movement of the breech-block produced through it by theaction of the crank G.

As during the movement of the hinge-pin F and crank G, which takes plateafter the unscrewing of the breech-block and prior to screwing it inagain, the rotator J is disengaged from and unsupported by the crank, Io provide'on the back of the breech-block f the support of the saidrotator at such times a projection q, represented as a piu screwed intothe block. This pin supports the rotator, as shown in Fig. 3, inposition for its re-engagement with the crank G by the entry of thewrist-pin Z) into is open mouth of its hook or yoke. From t tat end ofthe rotator J which is connected with the breech-block there projectsdownward a tail-piece or extension 1) to serve as a safety-cover for thevent in the breech-block or gas-check.

The rear end of the breech-block is shown as having a central recess (Zto receive the nuts eon the stem of the gas-check, and inside of thisrecess is a circumferential groove f, (shown in section in Fig. 1, andalso shown in Fig. 8 by breaking away part of the rear of the block, andshown in Figs. 2 and 6 in dotted outline,) for the reception and engageament of a wrist or pin g, which projects upward from the extremity ofthe breech-block retractor E, the said wrist or pin by operating in thesaid groove serving to retract the block, and the groove providing forthe turning of the block to unscrew it and screw it up withoutinterference with the said retractor,which consists of an arm fitted toswing horizontally upon the hinge-pin F, and which is represented inFigs. 2 and 3 as bifurcated or having a two leaves where the hinge-pinpasses through it, so that it connects with the said pin above and belowthe upper arm C of the stationary hinge-bracket. The said retractor ismoved back to withdraw the breech-block by the 5 pressure of thecrank-wrist bagainst its front edge; but as the said wrist will notoperate to return the retractor, I here provide, as described in myhereinbefore-mentioned Letters Patent, the return-bolt 0, which works upand\ a down through guide-holes provided for it in the two leaves of theretractor-arm and into and from a hole Z,provided for it in the crank G,the said movement being produced by a lateral projection on the saidbolt working in 5 a cam groove in the rounded end of the bracket-arm G Ihave shown a spring n applied to the said bolt to push it upward.

The breech-block carrier D D I) consists of a tray D, of a common form,to serve as a a seat for the breech-block, arms D D, to the end of whichthe said tray is attached, and a hub D from which the said arms projectand which is fitted to turn on the hinge-pin between the retractor E andthe arm 0 of the stationary hinge-bracket. The said tray D has at itssides, as is common, longitudinal parallel guides h for the purpose ofguiding the breech-block during its withdrawal from and return to thebreech, the said block being provided with grooves if t', which comeopposite the said guides when the breech-block is unlocked. For lockingthe carrier to the breech of the gun at all times, but when it isrequired to take breech-block away therefrom,

and for locking the breech-block in the tray of the carrier after it hasbeen withdrawn from the breech into said tray, I provide a tray-latch,such as is well known and is described in my hereinbefore-mentionedLetters Patent, consisting of a hooked lever K, which is pivoted by apin r to the tray D of the carrier and engaging with a hook s, affixedto the breech, the said latch being disengaged from the said hook toliberate the carrier by the rear end of the breech-block passing overits upward projection t,which projects through an opening in the tray,and the block being afterward locked in the tray by the entrance of thesaid projection 1. into the notch 20, provided in the block for itsreception.

To look the breech-block when it is screwed up, I provide what I term agravity lockinglatch, consisting of a bolt L, having dovetail edges andfitted to work easily in a nearly radial groove of correspondingdovetail form in the rear face of the breech-block. The outer end ofthis bolt when the breech-block is screwed up drops into a notch in thecounter bore or screw-box of the breech, as shown in Fig. 2. Before theunscrewing of the breech-block the said bolt or latch has to be liftedup out of the notch u. by a handle v, provided on it for the purpose,and held so lifted while the block is turned far enough for the end ofthe said bolt or latch to be supported within the counter bore of thebreech, as shown in Fig. 3.

Having now described the construction and separate operations of theseveral parts of the breech-block and its operating mechanism, I willnow proceed to describe the operations for loading and firing the gun.

The gun having been fired and left with the parts of the mechanism inthe position in which they are represented in Fig. 2 and in bold outlinein Fig. 6, to open the breech,

first raise the latch L out of the recess 11..

Then turn the shaft 1 by means of the handcrank l in the direction tocause the endless screw I to turn the worm-gear H and the hinge-pin Fand crank G in the direction of the arrow shown near the hinge in Fig.6. During the first portion of this movement of the hinge-pin the uppercrank-wrist I), working in the yoke or hook j of the rotater J, producesthe turning of the breech-block to the left, as indicated by the arrowshown near it in Fig. 2. \Vhen by this movement the block is unscrewedand ready to be withdrawn from the breech, the lower wrist b of thecrank comes against the retractor E, and the continued turning of thehinge-pin and crank produces, through the operations of the said wrist bon the retractor and of the wrist g of the retractor in the slot f ofthe breechblock, a complete withdrawal of the said block from the breechinto the tray D of the carrier, which is new first unlocked from thebreech by the passage of the block over the projection t of thetray-latch K and then looked to the breech-block by the entrance of theprojection 25 into the notch 10. By the further continued turning of thehinge-pin the wrist b, continuing in action on the retractor, pulls backthe breech-block and with it the carrier until the block and the wholeof the mechanism are thrown aside to the position shown in dottedoutline in Fig. 6,1eaving the breech completely open for loading. Priorto the commencement of the move; ments above described for opening thebreech the tail -piece 1) of the rotator J left the vent uncovered, asshown in Fig. 2; but by the unscrewing of the breech-block the vent isbrought behind the said tail-piece, as shown in Fig. 3, where it remainsduring the remainder of the opening movements and until the breech-blockhas been again inserted into and screwed up within the breech, thetail-piece thus serving as a safety-cover to the vent at all times butwhen the breech-block is screwed up. When in the movement of the crank Gthe lower crank-wrist b has come into contact with the retractor andbegins to move it and the breech-block, the rotator J, owing to itssuperior speed. due to the difference in radial length between theretractor and the crank, disengages itself from the wrist b, the yokeand hook j in the rotator being made open at the end to allow the saidwrist to pass out. During that part of the movement of the crank G whichtakes place before the wrist 1) begins to act on the retractor thereturn-bolt o is held down by the groove m in the arm C of thehinge-bracket and the crank passes over the upper end of said boltuntil, as the wrist b arrives at the retractor, the hole Z in the crankarrives over the said bolt, which, as the retractor moves back, israised by its lateral projection running in the said groove m, andis'thereby caused to engage the retractor with the crank ready for thereturn movement of the breech-block. To close the breech, the movementof the handcrank J 2 is reversed. The return movement then takes placeas follows: The whole of the breech-block-operating mechanism swingsback, and as the tray D of the carrier with the breech-block in itarrives at the breech of the gun the tray-latch K is stripped from theblock by the hook-stud s, and the continued movement of the retractor Ewith the hingepin F and its crank G pushes the breechblock back into thegun. When this position is reached, the return-bolt 0 has been nearlywithdrawn from the crank-arm by its movement in the groove m of thehinge-bracket arm C and the further turning movement causes thereturn-bolt to be withdrawn from the crank G. As the crank is thusreleased from the retractor, its wrist Z1 operates in the yoke or hook jof the rotator J, (the rotator having overtaken the crank-wrist I) whilethe block was being pushed into the gun,) and pulling the latter to theright turns the block from the position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown inFig. 2, thus'coinpleting the closing of the breech. As soon as thebreech-block is screwed up thqgravity-latch L drops into its notch u inthe gun, and upon firing the gun takes the strain of the turning effort,thus relieving the various parts of the breechblock operating mechanism.The endless screw I and worm wheel H effect another lock always inaction should its latch L be dispensed with. The vent is uncovered, asshown in Fig. 2, by the final movement of the breech-block and therotator durmg the operation of screwing up, and a prlmer may then beinserted in the vent. Although the vent is covered by the rotator at alltimes e cept when the breech-block is screwed up it is not thus renderedinaccessible for clearing when the breech is open, for, should theclearing be necessary, by lifting the hooked end of the rotator thetail-piece or safety-cover 19 may be carried clear of the vent. Onlydesign, however, will enable this to be done. It cannot occur throughaccident.

hat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, with a breech-load ng cannon and a breech-block forthe same WhlOll has both a rotary and a backwardand forward movement, aswinging carrier for said breech-block, andahinge-pin attached to thebreech and constituting a pivot upon which the said carrier swings, of acrank on said pin and a bar or rod pivoted to the breechblock and havinga hook or slotted yoke engaging with a wrist of said crank,substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The combination, with a breech-loading cannon and a breech-block forthe same which has both a rotary and a backward-and -forward movement, aswinging carrier for said breech-block, a swinging retractor for drawingthe breech-block into the carrier and pushing it therefrom into the gun,and a h1n gepin attached to the breech and constituting a pivot on whichsaid carrier and retractor swing independently of each other, of a baror rod pivoted to the said breech-block and having a curved slotted yokeor hook and a crank on the hinge-pin having two wrists, one of whichengages with the said slotted yoke or hook for turning the breech-blockand the other engages with the retractor for withdrawing thebreeoh-block from the gun, substantially as herein set forth.

3. The combination, with the breech-loading cannon and a breech-blockwhich has both a rotary movement and a backward-and-forward movement inthe breech thereof and in which there is a circumferential groove, of abreech-block retraetor hinged to the breech and engaging in said groovein the breechbloek, substantially as and for the purpose herein setforth.

4:. The combination, with a breech-loading cannon and a breech-blockhaving a turning movement therein, of a pin pivoted to the breech, acrank on said pin, and a bar or rod which is iivoted to the breech-blockand eon-' anects the crank therewith and a portion 0' which covers andleaves uncovered the vent in the breech-block as the latter is turned in

